從迷惘到信靠
仍然在掙扎
經文
哈巴谷書一13
13你眼目清潔,不看邪僻,不看奸惡;行詭詐的,你為何看著不理呢?惡人吞滅比自己公義的,你為何靜默不語呢?
信息分享
昨天我們談到,當神要我們耐心等候祂對禱告和困難的回應時,那是基督徒生命中最難熬的時段。當前的這一刻,天堂對你來說是否毫無意義?你向神求告的緊急問題是否沒有得到回應?那麼請與我一起來看哈巴谷如何發現自己身處這樣的境況,以及他怎樣去渡過。
從今天的經文可以明顯看到,雖然哈巴谷在處理屬靈迷惘方面已經走了很長的路,但他的視野仍未清晰。肯定了神「眼目清潔,不看邪僻,不看奸惡」(13節)後,他提出另一個惱人的問題。《當代聖經》(Living Bible)這樣說:「你不能容許任何形式的罪,會在罪吞沒我們時袖手旁觀嗎?當邪惡的人消滅比他們更好的人時,你會沉默嗎?」
很明顯的,哈巴谷在神會使用殘暴的迦勒底人來懲罰祂的百姓這件事上仍然掙扎不已。哈巴谷的意思是:「主啊,如果你的眼睛真是太清潔,不看邪惡,那為甚麼你容許迦勒底人這樣對待你的百姓呢?猶大可能是壞的,但迦勒底人比他們壞一千倍。」哈巴谷因為神使用不義的人來潔淨義人而感到疑惑,他不是唯一一個有這種感受的人。要記得,如果神不能以某個方法來觸動我們,祂就會嘗試另一個方法。因為神實在太愛我們,祂不會讓我們在原地踏步。
「如果神不能以某個方法觸動我們,祂會嘗試另一個方法」
進深研究
路十八1-8;賽二十五9,三十三2;創四十九18
1. 耶穌在這個比喻教導甚麼?
2. 這鼓勵我們做甚麼?
祈禱
天父,您是那麼愛我,以致不容許其他事物令我受損和被貶低,我為此而感激您。我知道您會培育我,雖然您可能會採用最不尋常的方法來實現這個目的。天父,感謝您。阿們。
From Confusion to Confidence
Still struggling
Bible reading:
Habakkuk 1:13
13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?
Message
Yesterday we said that those times when God leaves us waiting for an answer to our prayers and questions are some of the heavens seem the most difficult of our Christian life. Do like brass to you right now? Have the urgent questions you have put to God gone unanswered? Then look with me at how Habakkuk found himself in this same situation - and how he came through it.
It is obvious from the verse before us today that although Habakkuk had come a long way in dealing with the fact of spiritual confusion, his perspective is still not clear. After affirming the fact that God is of "purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness" (v.13, NKJ), he presents another provoking question. The Living Bible puts it like this: "Will you, who cannot allow sin in any form, stand idly by while they swallow us up? Should you be silent while the wicked destroy those who are better than they?"
Clearly Habakkuk is still struggling with this idea that God is going to use the cruel Chaldeans to punish His people. What he is really saying is this: "If it is true, O Lord, that Your eyes are too pure to look on evil, then how can you allow the Chaldeans to do this to Your people? Judah might be bad, but the Chaldeans are a thousand times worse." Habakkuk is not the only one to be perplexed over the fact that God uses the unrighteous to refine the righteous. If God can't get to us one way, then He will try another. He loves us too much to let us stay as we are.
"If God can't get to us one way, then He will try another"
Prayer
Father, I am so grateful that You love me too much to let me get away with things that deprive and demean me. You will develop me - even though You may have to resort to most unusual means to accomplish it. Thank You, Father. Amen.
Further study
Luke 18:1-8
Isaiah 25:9; 33:2
Genesis 49:18
1. What did Jesus teach in this parable?
2. What does this encourage us to do?
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